The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-07-21
THE SUNDAY LAW.
Bright Work of the Twentieth
Legislature.

Legislature.
AUSTIN, TEX, July Is, 1887.
To the Editor of The STATESMAN.
As the Sunday law is being discussed by
the public, thinking that it may be inter
esting to your readers to have presented
to them through your columns the Sun
day law that is now in force, as amended,
1 take the liberty to briefly discuss a
point or two:
SUNDAY LAW.
Article 1H3-Any person who shall here.
after labor, or compel, force or oblige his
employees, workmen or apprentices to la
Dor on Sunday, or ally person who shall
hereafter hunt game of any kind whatever
on Sunday, within one-hatf mile of any
church, school house or private residence,
shall be fined not less than ten nor more
than fifty dollars.
Article 1S4.-The preceding article shall
net apply to household duties, works of
necessity or charity, nor to necessary
work on farms or plantations, in order to
prevent the loss of any crops; nor to the
running of steamboats, and other water
crafts, rail cars, wagon trains, common
carriers, nor to the delivery of goods by
them or the receiving or stor-
ing of said goods by the
parties, or their agents TO whom said
goods are delivered; nor to stages carry
ing the United States mail or passengers;
nor to founderles, sugar mills, Or herders
who have herd of stock actually gathered
and under herd; nor to persons travelling,
nor to ferrymen or keepers of toll bridges,
keepers of hotels, boarding houses and
restaurants and their servants; nor to
keepers of livery stables and their SER
wants; nor to any person who conscien-
tiously believes that the seventh or any
other day of the week ought to he OBJ
served as the Sabbath, and who actually
refrains from business and labor on that
day for religious reasons.
Article 185-Any person who shall run,
or be engaged in running, any horse race,
or who shall permit or allow the use of
any ring or ten pin alley, or who shall be
engaged in match shooting, or any species
of gaming for money or other cOnsidera-
ton, within the limits of any city or town
on Sunday, shall be fined not less than
twenty nor more than fifty dollars.
Article 1S6-Any merchant, grocer or
dealer in wares or merchandise, or trader
in any business whatsoever, or the pro-
prietor of any place of public amusement,
or the agent or employe of any such per-
son, who shall sell or barter, or permit his
place of business or place of public
amusement to be open for pur-
pose of traffic or public amuse-
ment on Sunday, shall be fined
not less than twenty nor more than fifty
dollars. The term place of public amuss-
ments, shall be construed to men circuses,
theaters variety theaters, and such other
amusements as are exhited, and for which
an admission fee is charged; and shall
also include dances at disorderly houses,
low dives, and places of like character,
with or without fees for admission.
Article 186a--The preceding article
shall not apply to markets Or dealers i'll
provisions as to sales of provisions made
by them before 8 O'Clock a. H., nor to the
sale of burial or shrouding material,
newspapers, ice, ice cream, milk, nor to
the sending of telegraph or telephone
messages at any hour of the day, nor to
keepers of drug stores, hotels, boarding
houses, restaurants, livery stables, barber
telegraph or telephone offices.
Article 187-The preceding article shall
not apply to the sale of drugs and medi-
clnes on Sunday.
Bearing in mind what Article 1873 pro-
hibits, l call your attention to the latter
part of Article 1874, which reads as fol-
lows: "Nor to any person who conscien-
tiously believes that the seventh or any
other day of the week ought to be OBJ
served as the Sabbath, and who actually
refrains from business and labor on that
day for religious reasons" What else
does it mean but that Article 1873 does not
apply to any person who conscientiously
believes that the seventh Saturday or
any other day of the week, ought to be
observed as the Sabbath, and who actually
refrains from business and labor on that
day for religious reasons? In other
words, any person who conscientiously
believes that Saturday, or any other day
of the week ought to be observed as the
and who actually refrains from
business and labor on that day for re-
Iigious reasons may do what? May
labor or compel, force or oblige
his employees, workmen, or apprentices to
labor on Sunday, and may hunt game on
Sunday within one half mile of any
church, school house, or private residence.
Article 1856 prohibits any trader in any
business whatsoever, or the proprietor of
any place of public amusement, or the
agent ETC., to sell or barter or permit his
place of business or place of public amuse-
ment to be open for the purpose of traffic,
etc., on Sunday.
Article 1S6a is to allow certain traders
in business, etc, to sell and barter and
keep open their establishments, ETC.; and
among Others it says that article 1856, pre-
ceding article" does not apply to keepers
of drug stores.
Article 1877 says that the preceding
article (1S6a) shall not apply to the sale
of drugs and medicines on Sunday. 1t
no doubt, not being so intended, but the
law prohibits the sale of drugs and medi-
cines on Sunday, but allows keepers of
drug stores to keep open, and sell
what? anything else not prohibited.
Not wishing to consume too much
space in you columns, 1 will leave
the balance for your readers to discuss.
Respectfully, WIN. Won ROSENBERG, JR.